A Taste of Frederick, Maryland

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Roasthouse Pub, 5700 Urbana Pike

Ah yes, my beloved gastropub. A place to enjoy tasty grub that just seems to be paired perfectly with the likes of Troubadour Magma and Weyerbacher Harvest. When you can’t throw a rock without hitting an Applebee’s or TGIFriday’s, you know a place like The Roasthouse Pub in Frederick, Maryland is a welcome addition to your town . I’m no expert when it comes to craft beer, but I know what I like and I can appreciate a good drink or three with a hearty meal.If you’re not a craft beer aficionado, 75-cents will have you sampling the goods before committing to a pint. There are two chalkboards with whatever is on tap at the moment and the list is always changing. New brews are usually tapped mid-meal in my experience. The Roasthouse Pub opened in 2011 and it’s become a favorite of mine already. I know 99% of my audience will relate to the national chains over a local joint, but a place like this is prime territory for tasty pics you can drool over, so I hope you at least give them a peak. The Roasthouse Pub ground rules:

(1) Beer taps should pour craft beer
(2) Food should be prepared by a chef not a manufacturer
(3) Take the standard and figure out how it can be done better

Now to the good stuff, the pub grub. Take a look at what I’ve sampled so far.

Red Pepper Queso: Roasted Poblano and Jalapeno peppers are blended with cream cheese, Cilantro, lime, mozzarella, and roasted tomatoes. Topped with melted mozzarella and served with toasted Ciabatta bread. For $8.00, this appetizer is more than plenty for two. While the cilantro/lime flavors weren’t apparent, the blend of peppers and cheeses came through perfectly. The melt on this thing is consistent from top to bottom although the spicy kick is a bit on the milder side. I’m likely to get this app everytime I’m at Roasthouse.

Baked Brie: Imported Brie cheese baked on a toasted French baguette, paired with spiced applebutter, roasted Granny Smith apples and candied pecans. This $8.00 appetizer, pairs its ingredients that really complement one another. The bite of the brie combined with the sweetness of the spiced applebutter will please your taste buds. My only gripe would be its size and price. The chunks of brie are hearty, but, splitting this among friends will leave you wanting more.

Pulled Pork Sandwich: Slow cooked pork combined with homemade slaw on toasted Ciabatta bread. Served with our Roasthouse BBQ sauce. At $9.00 with a side of roasted red skin roasted potatoes, this sandwich is priced fair. I believe you can make or break a pulled pork sandwich based on the sauce. The Roasthouse BBQ sauce has the sweet and tangy flavors found in most typical BBQ sauces, but I always like a little heat with mine. The pork was a little on the dry side. An average sandwich that could be really good with a few tweaks.

RH Chicken Sandwich: Juicy roast chicken, whole grain honey mustard, melted Muenster cheese, arugula and vine ripened tomato all on a rustic roll. I couldn’t find much to like about the RH Chicken Sandwich. Like the Pulled Pork Sandwich, the RH (Roasthouse) Chicken Sandwich is also priced at $9.00. The bread roll seemed to be on the stale side and would’ve benefited from being toasted. While I like Muenster cheese, it seemed to have little to no impact here because I was so overwhelmed by the bread… just check out that top bun dwarfing the entire package. Another issue was the chicken itself. Once again, dry. The whole grain honey mustard was great, but couldn’t save the day for this sandwich. I’d recommend the head chef changing this one.

Hot and Hearty Chicken Pot Pie: Pot pie prepared with potatoes, peas, sautéed Vidalia onions and carrots. Blanketed by a light and flaky pastry crust. Now this is some good, hearty grub. Packed with chunks of chicken and various veggies, the flavors lean a little towards the thick stock and Vidalia. I only with there was some more of that flaky warm crust throughout. At $14.00, the Hot and Hearty Chicken Pot Pie is priced a bit high, but comes with a side of pickled cabbage that I seemed to be addicted to. Still, too steep a price by a couple bucks for this entree in my opinion.

Prime Rib French Dip Sandwich: Slow roasted prime rib sliced thin and paired with caramelized Vidalia onions. Piled on a toasted hoagie roll and served with au jus. Ah yes, my beloved French dip. This $10.00 sandwich is what will keep Roasthouse Pub near the top of my go-to grub spots from here on out. My compliments to the chef for pretty much making the perfect sandwich. There is nothing I’d improve here. The slices of prime rib were juicy without the au jus, but the au jus ruled. The hoagie roll was toasted perfection. This is the kind of sandwich you pace yourself with because you don’t want the experience to end. Highly recommended.

Macaroni and Cheese: Beautiful brick of elbow macaroni and glorious sharp cheese blends and topped with a crumbly crisp crust. $4.00 will get you this lovely golden chunk of cheesiness and it’s a steal. I didn’t have my measuring tape or anything, but I’d say a slice of this baked mac and cheese was 4″ x 4″ and probably nearly a couple inches high. I shared this side item with my dad and we could’ve used some help. My only gripe here would be that I wished the entire package was as delicious as the top crust portion. Could’ve been a bit cheesier/gooier too.

So the food at Roasthouse Pub is a hit in my eyes. Some negatives that come to mind… the location of the place is kind of pathetic. The building is a shoebox and is really in a dumpier area of town. The parking situation is super tight too and that’s not cool when slightly tipsy patrons could be around . As for the waitstaff, in my three personal experiences so far, the service has been hit/miss/hit. My next trip will definitely include a dessert as this is sadly missing from this post. If you’re visiting the Frederick, Maryland area, it’s worth checking out and if you’re a local who is reading this right now, you’ll be pleased to know this place exists.